Many applications require an open central diameter, in which case the shaft will be hollow. Freewheels employed in power shovels, cranes, and turntables for example demand open central diameters of more than 500 mm.
A double-action shoe-overriding freewheel is known from German AS 1 259 151. It has two rows of shoes or jaws. Which row is engaged depends on the speed at which the engine and machinery are rotating. One drawback of this freewheel is that it cannot transmit extremely high stopping forces. The forces that occur normal to the shoes and act on the races during the clutching process are powerful enough to deform the rings, and the freewheel will no longer be able to function. Furthermore, the single-point stress that derives from the tilt of the races will destroy the shoes and races.